Dark Paradise
by scarletdagger
Summary: There seems to be trouble brewing at Hogwarts, and Harry is caught right in the midst of it. A mysterious character lurks around in the hallways of Hogwarts and someone seems to be out for blood. Can Harry figure out who these people are? And surprisingly enough, Draco is there to help.
1. The Curse

Dark Paradise

******Disclaimer: **Oh yes, it is me, J.K. Rowling. I am here to please you all with some drarry fanfiction. Oh yes yes.

Nah I'm just kiddin'. These characters belong to J.K. Rowling and associates.

******Warning: **Boy/boy stuff on here and mild violence and all that rated T nonsense.

******Summary: **There seems to be trouble brewing at Hogwarts, and Harry is caught right in the midst of it. A mysterious character lurks around in the hallways of Hogwarts and someone seems to be out for blood. Can Harry figure out who these people are? And surprisingly enough, Draco is there to help.

******Author's notes: **Well, this takes place in 6th year and this is so totally an AU because of reasons that will be identified later on in the story. This story might be about...30 chapters long? Maybe? I usually update on Saturday or Sunday, depends on what I do over the weekend. Ya know, school and stuff...And yeah, I got the title from one of Lana Del Rey's songs. My beta is my totally cool and awesome friend from school. She's super useful- I mean helpful.

_****__**Chapter 1: **____The Curse_

"What are you thinking about?"

Harry looked up immediately to squint at Hermione's face, his lips pressed into a thin line. Looking elsewhere, he simply shrugged and adjusted the cool frames on his face using his free hand while his other hand carefully fondled his wand. He only blinked when he felt a warm hand pressed firmly against his shoulder, the light squeeze a silent, _'It's going to be okay.' _The raven haired teen contemplated telling Hermione about his recent thoughts and worries, but decided it would be best to just keep his mouth shut for the time being.

"Ginny."

Harry replied with a somber look, hoping it would be convincing enough. Fortunately, Hermione appeared to believe him and gave him a sympathetic smile with a light pat on the shoulder. He felt a twinge of guilt for using Ginny as a scapegoat, but it was the best he had at the moment.

"Oh Harry...I know it wasn't fair of her to just-"

Hermione paused for a second, as if looking for the right word to say.

" I know it wasn't fair of her to leave you like that, but you should understand that she was just a bit frustrated with your…um, lack of enthusiasm in your relationship. How should I put this..."

She paused for the second time."It just crashed and burned. I'm truly sorry it had to end in such a disastrous fashion, but it was probably for the best. Please don't be too hard on yourself. Now come on Harry, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts."

She grinned childishly and lightly punched Harry on the shoulder. Harry forced a cheerful smile and unconsciously rubbed the spot where she pretended to hit him, his grip on his wand tightening for a second. Hermione seemed to notice this and cautiously wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her face in his shoulder." I'm sorry..." she whispered.

Harry said nothing as he reluctantly hugged her back, her bushy hair momentarily distracting him from the single thought that continuously worried him. Who was that peculiar figure scurrying about near the Room of Requirement? Surely it wasn't a Death Eater, since there was absolutely no way one of Voldemort's followers could get through the wards around Hogwarts. The very thought of that event happening made Harry sick to his stomach, and so he politely excused himself from Hermione's embrace to dash towards the bathroom. Little did he know that someone had silently watched the entire exchange.

• • •

Harry viciously stabbed his eggs during breakfast, a frown seemingly permanent on his lips. His thoughts were in disarray and he wasn't entirely sure about what to do with himself anymore. On one hand, his habit of stalking Malfoy was getting a bit out of control, and the mysterious figure lurking around the school hallways was becoming a major rumor. Many people claimed to have seen him walking around with a limp, while others believed that it was Harry from the future. How they came up with such preposterous stories, Harry would never know, but he was getting rather fed up with it.

The raven haired teen twisted his fork around and winced at the sound of metal against glass, a couple of his friends looking up to find the source of the noise. If looks could kill, they would most probably be rolling around in their graves at this point.

"What's wrong Harry? You looked like death just came up to your doorstep and slapped you right across the face."

That earned Seamus a well-deserved slap on the head, but it was true. Harry did look rather terrible. There were bags under his considerably darker eyes, his frown appeared deep and permanent, his eyebrows were furrowed to the point that they might be permanent as well, and his face was thinner than usual. Ginny shot him a worried look, and he simply shook his head as if telling her it wasn't because of their nonexistent relationship.

" 'M just tired, that's all. Haven't slept in a while."

"Nor have you eaten. Honestly Harry, you've been skipping out on dinner AND lunch for the past week now. You know what, I think I just might report this to Professor Dumbledore. If I can't convince you to continue eating then I might as well tell someone who can. Do you know-"

Hermione was quickly interrupted by Ron's sudden coughing spasm.

"Sorry 'bout that...", Ron muttered, although he didn't look sorry at all. Harry flashed him a grateful smile, which was returned with a smirk. Hermione gave both of them an incredulous look, her mouth opening as if she was about to resort to one of her famous lectures, before she was once more rudely interrupted by Ron.

"Oi...Look over there, Malfoy's giving you a funny look."

Ron nodded his head towards Malfoy's direction, and Harry immediately shifted in his seat to give the blonde git a scathing look, but was puzzled when he found him looking at him with a sad gaze. If it was even possible at the moment, Harry's frown deepened even further as he felt his heart wrench at the sight. When Malfoy realized Harry was looking directly at him, his lips twisted into his famous scowl of disgust, which earned him a withering glare from Harry.

A light slap on the hand made Harry turn around in his seat. Chocolate brown eyes stared directly into his unnaturally green ones. It made the Gryffindor slump in his seat even further and shift his gaze elsewhere, his hand still plunging the fork through sausages and eggs. So much for Gryffindor courage.

"Honestly Harry, when are you going to stop acting like a child? You're _clearly _provoking Malfoy to continue with his inexcusable behavior!"

Harry groaned, which sounded an awful lot like, "never".

"Look Hermione, I'm not really feeling well." He refrained from rolling his eyes when Hermione gave him a _'told you so'_ look. " I'll be back before double potions, I promise." And with that feeble excuse, Harry hastily stood up from his seat, slipped his bag over his shoulder and left the Great Hall as quickly as humanly possible. Malfoy had watched the entire event with a disdainful frown, but cool grey eyes that reflected deep disquiet.

• • •

Harry skillfully slipped his wand out of his pocket, narrowed his eyes and performed a well-executed disillusionment charm on himself. After he had rushed out of the Great Hall, the air surrounding him had suddenly dropped several degrees and made him clutch the sleeves of his robes for some form of contact. It immediately made him vigilant, knowing that the temperature within the castle was meant to be kept relatively warm despite the whips of cool winter air slapping against the outer school walls. He quickly scanned the area for any signs of peril and released a breath he did not realize he was holding.

"Ugh, Hermione's right, I'm way too paranoid." he muttered.

He quickly dispelled the charm and pocketed his wand. His sneakers squeaked against the marble surface and he stopped abruptly, but that is not what made the raven haired teenager stop dead in his tracks. No, it was the peculiar sight of someone's hand sticking out from inside a slightly opened doorway.

"What the bloody..."

Harry furrowed his dark eyebrows in slight irritation as he pulled out his wand once more, casting a silent Protego around himself. He reached out and pulled the door back cautiously, lifting his wand up into the deep darkness that consumed the relatively empty room. The creaking noise of the door made him blink, but he ignored it and quickly cast a powerful Lumos charm so he could peer into the dark room. When he was assured there was no danger in the room, Harry quickly dropped down on one knee and flicked his wand towards the hand on the floor, his eyes narrowed in a way that could be compared to squinting.

It was cold and clammy, Harry realized, as he pressed his left index finger against the palm. Taking in a deep breath, the Gryffindor silently lifted his wand and allowed the light to trail down the person's sleeve, and paused when he reached the blackened shoulder. There was an outline resembling that of a hand on it, and it made Harry even more curious as to what transpired here in this empty classroom. His gaze rested on the burnt fabric for a second longer before he continued, and nearly dropped his wand at the sight of the unfortunate victim.

It was absolutely horrifying.

Whoever had done this certainly didn't have any mercy, none whatsoever. The victim's face, _'Ravenclaw'_ he distantly noted, noticing the blue and bronze badge on the uniform, was completely scorched on the right side and a tad bit on the left. A large cut marred their cheek and ran up towards the bridge of their nose, where it ended just before the burned skin. Harry's throat suddenly felt tight as he continued to study this mysterious person, who was unidentifiable at the moment. It's not like he paid much attention to the Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs, especially not after what happened back in 4th year. The person's neck was a pale shade of blue and purple, as if someone had attempted to choke them from the very beginning. Not only was their face burned, but their other arm was completely red and black and twisted at an odd angle, which successfully made Harry clasp a hand over his mouth so he wouldn't empty his stomach on the Ravenclaw. Whatever had happened here, it was enough to make Harry's temper flare.

As quickly as possible, Harry stripped the person from their robe and covered their face using the bloodied fabric. He frowned when he realized that the Ravenclaw was a girl. The last time he checked, the Ravenclaw girls were rather fond of wearing skirts instead of pants, but he mentally shrugged it off. There was no time to be pondering on what the girls wore and what they refused to wear.

_"Mobilicorpus!"_

Harry flicked his wrist and the unconscious body was carefully lifted into the air, teetering just a bit as her dark locks spilled out underneath her in waves. The robe nearly slipped off but was quickly adjusted by Harry, who had his brows furrowed in deep concentration. Hermione was certainly better at these types of spells, and it always made him unsettled whenever unconscious bodies were lifted into the air. He sucked in a deep breath and headed towards the infirmary as quickly as he could.

Madam Pomfrey was going to have a heart attack.

• • •

Harry's right leg bounced, his fingers tapping against the arm of the chair in a beat he remembered from long ago, his green eyes looking anywhere else but at Professor Dumbledore's face. Just remembering what had happened back in the infirmary was enough to make the Gryffindor cringe.

The moment he arrived, Madam Pomfrey was already tending to another student who gave Harry a quizzical look, then a horrified one once his gaze landed on the conspicuous body floating next to him. She had only waved her hand towards an empty bed, not even bothering to glance towards her patient. When she did turn around though, her face changed through several different emotions until it settled on deep concern, and all Harry could do was rub his neck nervously. The sharp gasp and clattering of wood as Madam Pomfrey finally noticed the body hovering in the air next to him made him look at Pomfrey's horrified face, and then back down at the burned Ravenclaw. Soon after, he was attacked ruthlessly with questions such as, "Do you know who did this?" and "Why were you out and about on your own?".

Dumbledore coughed once and that single noise made Harry snap his attention back to the present, his nervous habits quietly dying down in desperation to focus solely on the Headmaster.

"Yes, sir?"

He asked politely, his voice strong and firm after years with being in Dumbledore's office. He now had no reason to be nervous when he was sent here, but it was another habit that was rather hard to quell.

"Harry, when did you find Katlyn Rijo?" So that was her name.

"Sometime during breakfast, sir."

"And where did you find her?"

"I'm certain it was on the..." Harry paused to think." First floor, sir. In an abandoned classroom."

"I see."

Dumbledore closed his eyes momentarily before he opened them once more, the twinkle completely gone out in his blue eyes. "And did you notice anything off? Other than the body, of course."

"Well...the door was a bit open before I arrived. Inside the classroom, there was nothing there but scattered books, desks and chairs." Harry then narrowed his eyes, his slight frown deepening. There _had_ been something off about that place. "The air was much colder...And there was a bit of dried blood on the floor near the window, which I'm certain was nowhere near the girl. I also felt some magic still lingering in the air, but it made me a bit sick." He shrugged, not sure as to how he was supposed to explain the feeling. When Harry looked back at Dumbledore, he was already standing up, a pale hand rubbing against his beard.

"Thank you Harry, you are free to go. Please, don't stay out too late."

Dumbledore's lips curved into his usual smile that meant he knew more than he was letting on, his blue eyes twinkling as he was shrouded in mystery once again. It was always fascinating to Harry, how one could be so mysterious yet so open at the same time. The young wizard removed himself from the comfortable armchair and nodded his head in the Headmaster's direction. "Of course, sir. I'll see you at lunch." Harry picked up his bag and slipped it over his shoulder, his right hand gripping the strap of the bag tightly. If Dumbledore noticed, he said nothing about it.

"Sir..."

Harry paused for a second, swallowed thickly, and then continued. "I don't understand who would do something like this. It's absolutely horrible and just...wrong." He looked up briefly and was startled to see that Dumbledore was still smiling. "And, sir, don't you know that some of these students are Death Eaters? It could've been one of them who did this. Why do you still allow them to attend this school?" A pointy face with shockingly light blonde hair passed through his mind, but he thought nothing of it.

"Ah...That may be true, but tell me, do you know any of these supposed Death Eaters personally?" Dumbledore asked calmly, and nodded when Harry shook his head.

"While they may seem dangerous to others, that is only how they are on the outside. Let's see... compare them to a Hippogriff. If they are threatened without any protection, they attack without much mercy, correct?" Harry nodded once more, a bit confused. "But while they are constantly viewed as dangerous creatures, they are actually rather friendly. These children are the same way Harry."

"They're Hippogriffs?"

"No no." Dumbledore chuckled lightly and Harry beamed.

"What I am trying to say, is that these children are only being threatened constantly with no one there to offer them protection. No one has bothered to help them, and so they have reverted to the one thing they can do. Follow their parents and hope to be safe. I am trying to offer them protection so they can feel safe at Hogwarts, make it seem like their second home if possible. Perhaps they can change their minds and open up..."

A sad smile formed on Dumbledore's features, and Harry's frown turned thoughtful. Was it really true? Were they really frightened on the inside? No, it couldn't be possible. They were cold hearted Slytherins who would do anything to earn them a satisfying laugh, even deliberately hurting innocent people with malicious taunts or actions. They were despicable, but Harry only smiled faintly at the Headmaster.

Harry nodded his head in the Headmaster's direction and silently turned around to head towards Transfiguration class. As he descended the staircase, he heard Dumbledore say,

"Remember Harry, there a many things we do not understand, but that does not give us the right to change them. But instead, we should learn from them."

That one advice had left Harry stumped for the next couple of days.


	2. Visitors

**Disclaimer: **These characters belong to J.K. Rowling and associates.

**Warning: **Boy/boy stuff on here and mild violence and all that rated T nonsense.

**Summary: **There seems to be trouble brewing at Hogwarts, and Harry is caught right in the midst of it. A mysterious character lurks around in the hallways of Hogwarts and someone seems to be out for blood. Can Harry figure out who these people are? And surprisingly enough, Draco is there to help.

**Author's notes: **I don't even know what to say, really. Erm...enjoy this really terribly written chapter!

_**Chapter 2:** Visitors_

The day after the incident had occurred, Dumbledore rose from his seat during dinner and cleared his throat loudly, a worn out hand placed lightly over his chest. The entire Great Hall fell into immediate silence as they eagerly waited for their Headmaster to start his speech, all except for Slytherin. They simply rolled their eyes in disdain and many scowled at Professor Dumbledore, but he did not seem to take notice, nor did the other students who currently occupied the Hall.

"Today I must announce some very...disturbing news."

At this, the entire Hall broke out into whispers. People twisted around in their seats to turn towards their housemates, eyes glittering with anticipation and trepidation. They were immediately silenced when Dumbledore cleared his throat once more, a wary smile crossing his features as the students respectfully turned back towards the old wizard. His gaze swept over the entire Hall, resting for a second longer on a specific Gryffindor as if he were an intriguing subject to study. Once he had everyone's attention, he simply waved a hand over one of the floating candles and it promptly lit on fire, as if it were waiting for that one instruction all its life.

"Yesterday, it seems as if we've had a horrible incident."

Many students gasped and Dumbledore raised a hand to stop them from speaking all at once. "Unfortunately, one of the students has been sent to the infirmary because of a severe burn which has taken nearly half of their body. Thankfully, one of the students found out of sheer luck, and she will surely live to see another day. Had she been left alone for another few minutes, I fear her life may have ended on that very day."

A somber look crossed the Headmaster's face, his age suddenly visible for a second before it was replaced with certain confidence. "Please do not fret, for I'm sure that the danger will pass soon enough. All I ask is for all of you to remain within your dorms after 6, and to never go wandering about late at night. A small team of aurors will guard the entrances to each dorm, and they will patrol the hallways at night. That is all." Dumbledore carefully sat back down on his seat and at that very moment, excitement, apprehension and concern filled the Hall in seconds as people shrieked and turned to their housemates to whisper something profound.

One student was not whispering, nor was he reacting much to the violent news. That one student was Harry Potter.

Harry hunched forward in his seat as the whispering escalated, one hand twirling around a lock of dark hair as the other lightly tapped his spoon against the edge of his plate, his expression dark and calculating. What had transpired the other day did not come as a shock to the young Gryffindor, but it certainly wrenched forth nauseating memories of that Ravenclaw girl. Just imagining her face was enough to make Harry want to throw up his dinner from last night.

"Harry?"

The soft voice disrupted Harry's train of thoughts and he jerked forward, his spoon clattering loudly against the surface of the table. He blinked a couple of times as if he were trying to force back tears, and quickly sat up in his seat when he felt a hand pressed against his shoulder in a comforting gesture. The warm presence was quickly removed after his not so subtle reaction, and he felt his cheeks heat up in slight embarrassment as he caught the worried gazes of his fellow Gryffindor friends.

"Uh...Harry? You okay there mate? Need some juice or...something?"

"Yeah...Yeah, I am. Sorry, I was just thinking."

Harry muttered another quick apology as he picked up the spoon he dropped. "Err- the match against Ravenclaw is coming up soon, right?" He asked as he looked up from under his eyelashes, the question a vain attempt at directing everyone else's attention towards something else. Fortunately, they appeared to be enthralled by the topic of quidditch and were quickly discussing, more like stating, how they were going to fly those Ravenclaws into the ground. Harry quickly lost track of the conversation and steadily held Hermione's questioning gaze, then shrugged halfheartedly in her direction. He lowered his gaze towards his bag, picked it up and hastily slung it over his shoulder. Ron then looked over at him, an eyebrow raised as his eyes reflected concern. Harry only offered a quick and forced smile, which was returned with a knowing smirk.

"Ugh….Merlin Ron."

He mumbled in disgust before they shared a hearty laugh, which was followed by a light pat on the back.

As Harry left the Great Hall, Hermione continued to watch him with a stern frown and dark brown eyes.

• • •

Draco Malfoy was the perfect example of a Slytherin. Crude, sarcastic, cunning, intelligent and most important of all, deceiving. No one was able to see through his cold mask of an ignorant person, no one was allowed to worm their way into his heart and make it beat for them, no one was supposed to break down his walls and force him to succumb to his overbearing emotions. No one was allowed to know who he truly was, other than himself and his sickening thoughts.

So when the Headmaster announced the news to the entire student body, Draco felt a slight twinge of paranoia that was hard to contain as the inevitable whispering began, the massive swarm of human bodies sending a sickening feeling to the pit of his stomach. Eyes narrowed and lips pursed in deep thought, Draco fought to keep himself rooted to his seat at the Slytherin table and converse with his fellow housemates about the incident. Laugh at the girl's "unfortunate" accident and strongly abhor the student who did not leave her to die. His lips curled up into a sneer of disdain as he elegantly swept his hand over the sleeve of his robe, his fingertips dusting away the crumbs of bread which fell from Crabbe's lips.

"Oh...Sorry 'bout that Draco." The fatheaded oaf mumbled, his cheeks brightening in embarrassment.

"Just don't do it again, or I'll hex your ass into next week and back."

Draco snapped the threat as he directed his piercing gaze in Crabbe's direction. "Not like I really expect you to. Sometimes you forget the most simplest of things. It's unfortunately one of your most prominent traits." The blond sniffed and gathered up his things, then shoved them into his bag. "Now you must excuse me, I have people to terrorize." The lie passed through his lips smoothly, his eyes reflecting nothing but mirth at the thought of hexing a random Hufflepuff, his usual smirk plastered firmly onto his thin lips. He languidly stood up to leave, but was interrupted by a sickeningly sweet voice coming from his left.

"Are you coming back, Draco?" Pansy asked as she raised a well-sculpted eyebrow, her lips tugged down into that disapproving frown.

"Of course not Pans, I have better things to do. I'll see you back in Transfiguration."

Draco bent over and quickly kissed her on the cheek, which earned him cat calls and whistles. With a satisfied smirk, Draco turned around on the heel of his foot, his robes swishing behind him in an elegant fashion. It was enough to make Snape jealous. He then twisted around to face Pansy once more, his expression stern. "Don't go looking for me, I highly doubt you'll find me." And with that, he promptly left the Great Hall as quickly as he could, immensely glad that the other students were currently preoccupied with the half dead student. He was certain Potter didn't notice him leave.

As soon as he arrived at the front of the infirmary, Draco laid a hand on top of his chest and lightly pressed his forehead against the wooden doors, his breaths coming out in short, ragged puffs. There was no reason for Draco to scurry up the staircase and down the hallway, but the need to distract his swarming thoughts was alarmingly strong that he couldn't help but comply with his needs. Once his gaze settled on the doors to the infirmary, Draco wrapped both arms around himself and steadied his breathing, feeling as if there were fairies fluttering around within his stomach. Finally calming down his disarray of emotions, the blond Slytherin schooled his expression and forced his lips into a scowl of disgust, then ran his thin fingers through the wispy locks of hair which nearly appeared white in the sunlight.

Draco wrapped his fingers around the strap on his expensive leather bag, and used his free hand to push open the doors to the infirmary. The sunlight streaming through the windows gave the place a tranquil atmosphere and it soothed him to the core, although he expressed no sign of calmness. His attention was immediately grabbed by a still form on one of the beds to his right, and his grip tightened considerably, his throat suddenly going dry as if he lost all the saliva he held in his mouth. The sound of heels clicking against stone floors bounced off the walls, making the noise all too loud for Draco as he silently approached the silent form, his lips quivering in anticipation to see the burned student. Once he was standing near the bed, his gaze snapped towards Madam Pomfrey's office and stayed there for quite some time before he slipped his wand out from the sleeve of his robes. The wood was cool and smooth against his fingers, and he couldn't imagine parting with it. It made him feel whole, complete even.

Without removing his gaze from Madam Pomfrey's office, he flicked his wrist and quickly cast a silencing charm around himself and the possibly mutilated student, then pocketed his wand the second he finished.

"Why the bloody hell am I doing this..."

He muttered under his breath as he pressed his thumb and index finger against the bridge of his nose, hesitation once more crashing against him like a fierce wave. Draco cast a quick glance towards the door to Madam Pomfrey's office, swallowed a couple of times, regained his balance and reached his right hand out to grip the edge of the bed sheets. He paused for a second, then moved his hand lower and lower until...

He did not feel pity for whoever this girl was, but he was immensely disgusted with the sight of burned flesh peeking out from underneath the bandages that were wrapped around her face. The sheets were hastily thrown back over the student's face as a feeling he thought he no longer felt bubbled its way to the surface.

Draco Malfoy was curious.

• • •

Aberrant things were occurring in Hogwarts, and it all began with the Ravenclaw who was found in that empty classroom. Perhaps, mysterious things were already starting to occur long before Katlyn was burned. People paid no attention to Moaning Myrtle when she cried about a murderer in the bathroom; they simply thought she was overreacting to something that happened down in one of the stalls. People didn't give a second thought to the sudden change in temperature, although a couple of people complained about Gryffindor tower being awfully cold and the Slytherin dungeons being warmer than usual. No one had noticed the tiny scorch marks on a couple of the doors, or the windows tainted with small fingerprints. Everyone was simply concerned with the hooded man who stalked the hallways at midnight, and now they were concerned with an unknown murderer within the castle.

No one had noticed, except Hermione Granger.

She simply did not comprehend how no one noticed these subtle changes, and was extremely cross when people laughed in her face about her concerns, telling her to calm herself down and look at the more exigent things happening at Hogwarts. It appeared as if no one cared except for Hermione, who was insistent on uncovering the truth behind these odd happenings. All of these actions seemed familiar to her in some way, but she could not place where they came from. She had most certainly read of it in some book, but the memory was long gone and barely visible. It was just a blur at the back of her mind, something insignificant and not time worthy.

The moment Harry left the Great Hall, Hermione directed her intense gaze towards Ron and huffed rather loudly when he did not feel her stare burning at the side of his head. The tall but muscular redheaded Gryffindor looked her way, and offered a shy smile as his cheeks flushed the lightest shade of red. His freckles were swallowed by the slight tinge and made him look a bit odd, but attractive nonetheless. His most prominent features were his eyes. They were a pair of sparkling aquamarine eyes which were as bright as cloudless skies. It nearly made Hermione melt under his calm and steady gaze, but she managed to rip her gaze away from his and look towards the doors to the Great Hall. She mouthed, _"Follow me"_ and stood up from her seat, grabbed her bag and slipped out from the Hall unnoticed.

Hermione parted her lips and released a deep sigh as she pressed her back against the wall, one of her hands flying up to her frizzy brown hair so she could twirl it around her index finger, a nervous habit she quickly picked up from Harry. She wished to speak with Ron about these abnormal issues, but even she wasn't entirely sure that he could listen to her and understand the trouble that's brewing at Hogwarts. More and more people were going to be terribly injured if they didn't find out who or _what_the culprit was.

"'Mione?"

That deep voice caught Hermione's attention, and she whipped around to face Ron, who was looking at her with a look that was mixed with confusion and slight irritation. "What is it? Is everything okay? Please don't tell me you want me to study with you..." He grimaced when Hermione's look turned pensive. "Ugh...No way, not today, I'm not doing it. I am so not going to lock myself away in the deepest part of the Library and _study_for tests that aren't going to happen in a long time. Merlin, it's really boring and-" He was silenced when Hermione pressed a finger against his lips.

"Oh please, we're not going to study right now. Of course I'm going to make you do it later whether you want to or not, but I have to tell you something."

She grabbed his hand without a second thought and tugged on it as she forcibly led him down the hallway, towards the bathroom Moaning Myrtle haunted constantly.

"Err- 'Mione, not to be rude or anything...But where are you taking me?" Ron asked. He managed to catch up with Hermione rather quickly, due to his height and long legs. "I mean, we have class next period and I really don't want to disappoint our new potions professor by being late."

"Oh shush Ron, it won't take that long." Hermione huffed in indignation, then stopped abruptly and turned towards the entrance to the abandoned girl's lavatory.

"Please don't tell me we have to speak with..." Ron swallowed thickly, then proceeded to look nervous as he pointed a finger towards the doorway. "_Her._" He whispered.

"Don't be so crude."

"I'm not! I just don't want to speak with her. She's always going on about how she died and how she thinks Harry is cute, and honestly 'Mione, it's really disturbing to hear that about my best mate."

"Oh please, you're just being childish. Come on, let's go in."

"And why can't we go somewhere else? Like, oh I don't know, the Common Room? It's comfortable and warmer over there."

"Ron Weasley, you're not actually trying to fight with me about this, are you?" Hermione snapped and whirled around as quickly as she could, then pursed her lips in agitation. She simply had no time to waste loitering about in the hallway. Ron at least had the decency to look ashamed, and vigorously shook his head no as if he were trying to escape his mother's wrath. A perturbed Hermione was a force to be reckoned with, especially when her patience was running thin. "Good. Now hurry up and get in before I stun you and drag you in." She hissed, and Ron immediately did as he was told.

The bathroom was dingy and smelled putrid, as if no one had cleaned it in years, although that was mostly the truth. Toilet water flowed out from underneath the stalls, a couple of corners were covered in spider webs and the paint on the walls were peeling. It was a rather revolting bathroom, but it was the perfect place to hide in, and it also held the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. High pitched wailing soon filled the deafening silence, causing both Hermione and Ron to clasp their hands over their ears, eyes screwed shut in frustration. Moaning Myrtle was never the quiet one.

"Ooooh, you wouldn't believe this! Oh my, oh my..." Myrtle moaned, both hands pressed against her face, distress clearly evident.

"That murderer, that cruel, cruel, murderer. Oh, there's a murderer in the school! A MURDERER!" She wailed in between sobs. The ghost hung upside down and dropped downwards into her favorite stall, the sobbing still penetrating the eerie silence of the girl's lavatory.

Hermione then grabbed Ron's hand, figuring that she had quite enough for one day, and hastily pulled the redhead out with her. "And that, is exactly what I'm trying to show you!" She hissed, turning to look at Ron's bewildered expression.

"Bloody buggering hell 'Mione..."

"There's also fingerprints on the windows, and the temperature within the castle is peculiar, and there are burn marks that didn't exist until one week ago! Now there's a girl who _mysteriously_gets burned by an unknown source! Obviously, there's something going on here at Hogwarts, and I'm afraid that it's something sinister. Something that could end up taking someone's life soon. We have to tell Professor Dumbledore before it's too late." She paused, her eyes wide with a crazy look in them.

"We have to tell him that Hogwarts needs to be evacuated."

• • •

It would be an understatement to say that Harry was shocked to find Draco Malfoy of all people to be in the infirmary. In fact, he was completely dumbfounded. His lips parted in an "o" shape, an involuntary gasp escaping his mouth the second he did so. Although he made some noise, it appeared as if Malfoy had not noticed him, so Harry hastily clamped his mouth shut and furrowed his thick eyebrows as he watched the Slytherin with rapt interest. _'What the hell is Malfoy doing here?'_,he asked himself, convinced that this was just a hallucination and that _Draco Malfoy_was not staring at the body with a somber look on his face.

Harry crept forward as he continued to watch Malfoy, a hand pressed against the pocket where he kept his wand safe and easy to reach, his gaze calculating and dark. The raven haired teen was immediately suspicious and wished to know why exactly he was here, watching over the victim from yesterday's incident-

"Wait a second..." He murmured, just as he looked over at the black hair poking out from beneath the sheets. Sure enough, Malfoy was watching over that Ravenclaw student. Thinking this was a good chance as any to grab the blonds' attention; Harry cautiously reached out and grabbed the other's wrist. "Malfoy?" He called out tentatively, and was awarded with a sharp slap to the face.

Malfoy had just slapped him, and it looked as if he regretted it for a second before a sneer crossed his lips.

"Oh look who's here, Saint Potter. Come to offer your prayers to the 'oh so poor soul' and help her wake up from limbo? Go on then, I'd like to see your magnificent powers that make you the Gryffindork's golden boy." Malfoy placed a hand on his hip and waved his other hand over the unconscious body, his usual smirk dancing on his thin lips. Harry pursed his lips as he rubbed a hand against his reddening cheek, his gaze darting from Malfoy back to the Ravenclaw and back to Malfoy again, wondering if he should just hex the git and get over with it. His Gryffindor side had, unfortunately, won.

"Whatever Malfoy. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be loitering around with the slimy gits that you call friends? Oh wait, guess you really can't call them friends. They only talk to you because you're just flowing with money." Harry spat, his voice practically dripping with venom and intense hatred.

"Oh please Potter, it's not like I have some poor friends who can barely maintain themselves. The Weasel is a disgrace to the pureblooded families; I'm not sure why you lower yourself to that...thing." Malfoy muttered with disdain. "And your filthy mudblood girlfriend is just a complete disgrace to the entire wizard-"

Harry's fist connected with Malfoy's jaw and before they knew it, they were both rolling around on the ground, constantly topping each other to deliver one or two punches before they switched positions. Harry lifted his knee in a vain attempt to throw Malfoy off him, which worked wonders when the blond coughed, hunched over and fell to his side, face twisted in pain. Harry inhaled deeply, swiftly topped Malfoy and straddled his legs, holding the other down by grabbing his wrists and lifting them over his head.

"Don't you fucking say that about my friends ever again Malfoy, or you'll deeply regret it…", Harry hissed, his tone deep and bitter, as if he were about to switch over to parseltongue. Dark emerald green eyes met steel grey ones, and they held the fervid gaze until Malfoy's eyes fluttered shut. His lips were curved downwards into a gentle frown, his right cheek was bright red with a tinge of purple, and his left eye was starting to darken into something purplish and blueish. His dark eyebrows were furrowed, as if he were in deep concentration, before his eyes flew open again and revealed glittering silver with pure hatred swimming around.

"Fuck you Potter."

Those three simple words made Harry's heart skip a beat. An overwhelming sense of excitement made his breathing raspier, and his eyes narrowed as his grip on Malfoy's wrists tightened. It was as if his heart was threatening to jump right out of his chest, with the sudden amount of summersaults it was doing. He shifted around a bit as if to get comfortable and gasped when he felt something lightly pressed against his arse. Harry removed himself from Malfoy as if he was burned and rubbed his sleeve against his nose in a hasty attempt to remove the blood that dripped down his chin, sent one last look of scorn in Malfoy's direction and stumbled out of the infirmary without glancing back. If he had, he would have seen the disappointed look sent his way.


End file.
